Environmentalists have been fighting economists over the decision to expand this already vast airport, which handles more international passengers than any other, to the bitter end. The decision was finally made, last week, by the British government to go for it and build a third runway.
The big “compensation” is that the new runway will be – get this – green. All new slots will be “green slots” for use only by the cleanest aircraft. How considerate to offer us a runway that cares about the world. What a great motivation that will give airlines to do their bit and reduce emissions. The carbon crims can just head over to the other runways to take off at leisure. As for helping the rest of public transport, there will, apparently, be moves to improve Britain’s high-speed rail links. Guess which ones? The ones destined for Heathrow, of course. Hurrah for progress.
Thankfully, some airlines are working to improve their emissions technology. One excellent website for those of us who have to fly sometimes, but who want to do so more responsibly, is www.flysmart.org. It provides some good tips, the top one being, ironically, “take a train when possible”. A “smart flyer” can travel more carbon efficiently by going direct, taking minimum baggage and choosing a carbon-efficient airline. Unless you are a green plane spotter this is tricky, so the site provides a link to a carbon-friendly flight finder. This ingenious use of internet technology allows you to find your cheapest flight to a destination not only moneywise but also carbonwise. Doing a random search on a flight from Dublin to New York, it was reassuring to see Aer Lingus come out the cheapest and greenest. Even smarter, you can then go straight to the booking section and buy your flight.
According to Fly Smart, we should also consider options other than offsetting the carbon emitted by our flight. I agree that the technology (and transparency) of offsetting companies is still overwhelmingly complex, and planting trees or building a solar panel means nothing to many people.
I am all for contributing to much-needed renewable- energy schemes in any way we can, but contributing to the conservation of a country you visit, for example, is equally important. I highly recommend a system put in place by Friends of Conservation, which works in destinations around the world to support not only wildlife causes but also the communities whose lives are inextricably entwined with the wildlife and habitats the group works to protect. On its website, www.foc-uk.com, enter details of where you plan to visit and it will calculate a donation that you can then allocate to a project of your choice. There is no complicated carbon calculator, just a fixed amount based on average carbon emissions for the journey you are making. This is a superb way of raising funds, creating awareness of the group’s work and making us think about our impact on the destinations we visit. Friends of Conservation urgently needs money for water projects in Uganda, rhino protection in Tanzania and other causes.
It is hard to stay focused on the carbon debate as we watch how leading politicians deal with situations such as the Heathrow debacle. If they aren’t bothering, then why should we? But as I rapidly lose faith in the big decision makers in this fragile world, where money still drives just about everything, I am being led by the famous words of a somewhat more inspirational leader, Mahatma Gandhi, who said: “Be the change you want to see in this world.” Now he was smart.
(This article was first published 24 January 2009, in The Irish Times)